#ANC54: Delegates reject proposal for second deputy president

Johannesburg - ANC delegates rejected the proposal to have two deputy presidents during the amending of the party's constitution on Sunday.

This follows proposals from delegates at the party's 54th National conference to amend the party's leadership structure by adding a second deputy president and as well as a second deputy secretary-general.

The party's top six structure currently consists of the president, a deputy, secretary-general, chairperson, treasurer-general and deputy secretary-general.

A proposal for the appointment of a second deputy secretary general has reportedly also been rejected.

Outgoing African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma, at the close of the party's National Policy Conference earlier this year, proposed that the losing presidential candidate become the second deputy president at the party's elective conference.

"In the spirit of combating slate politics and factionalism, a significant number of comrades have proposed that we find a mature and sound way of politically managing possible contestation of leadership positions especially in the run up to the 54th National Conference [in December]," Zuma said in his closing remarks at the 5th national policy conference in Johannesburg.

"As a practical measure to put an end to the entrenched practice of slate politics and factionalism, branches should consider a proposal to have a second deputy president [additional to the deputy elected at the elective conference] so as to include the candidate who obtained the second highest votes in the contest for the position of president."

He added however, that the preferred candidate for the winning slate also needed to be the second deputy president, an idea that has since been rejected by the likes of KZN ANC.